Ultra Thin Wide Basins

Ultra Thin Basin: The Thin-Edge Counter Top Look

An ultra thin basin is a counter top basin with a rim only a few millimetres thick, so it reads as a sharp line on the counter rather than a heavy bowl. Ceramic can only be made this thin with a fine, dense body, which is also why these basins deserve careful handling on site. The shapes here run round, square and soft-edged rectangle, in white and in colour. The wide versions give more room to wash without taking more counter depth.

Buying guide

Choosing an Ultra Thin Basin for the Counter

The thin rim is the whole point of an ultra thin basin, so the counter, the tap and the fitting all need to respect it.

What to Check Before You Choose an Ultra Thin Basin

The tap decides the splash. A thin-edge basin is shallow, and the most common complaint is water bouncing out. Pair it with a tap whose spout reaches the centre of the bowl and is not too tall; a short counter-standing tap or a wall tap both work. The basin taps page covers spout reach.

Colour shows water marks. Black, grey and coloured glazes look sharp on a thin rim, but hard water leaves a pale scale that shows more on a dark glaze than on white. If the household will not wipe the basin dry, choose white.

Wide beats deep on a shallow counter. A wide bowl gives washing room without pushing the tap off the back of the counter. Measure the counter depth first, then choose the widest shape that leaves room behind.

Compare the mountings. If the basin might end up on a bare wall rather than a counter, look at the counter top and wall hung basins instead.

Fitting and Living With a Thin-Edge Basin

Unbox it after the counter is in. A thin rim chips if it is knocked on site, and a chipped rim cannot be hidden. Keep it in its packing until the tiler and the carpenter have finished.

Bed it on silicone. A bead of neutral-cure silicone under the base stops the basin rocking and stops water creeping under it. Cut the waste hole in the counter from the basin's template, not by eye.

Do not over-tighten the waste. The waste nut pulls against the ceramic; hand-tight plus a quarter turn is enough. Use a pop-up waste that matches the basin's overflow, slotted or unslotted.

Clean it like glass. A soft cloth and a mild cleaner. Abrasive powders dull the glaze, and on a coloured basin the dulling shows. The rest of the bathroom basins follow the same care.

Common questions

What is an ultra thin basin?

A counter top basin whose rim is made only a few millimetres thick, so the edge reads as a line rather than a lip. It is a look rather than a function, and it works best on a clean stone or solid-surface counter.

Are thin edge basins strong enough?

In use, yes. The body is a dense ceramic and the bowl carries no load beyond water and hands. The risk is on site: a knock on the rim before it is fitted can chip it, so it should be the last thing unpacked.

Which tap suits an ultra thin basin?

A tap with a spout that lands near the middle of the bowl and does not sit too high above it. Shallow basins splash when water falls from a tall spout onto the near edge. Wall taps and short counter taps both suit.

Does a coloured basin stain?

The glaze does not stain, but hard water leaves a pale scale that is more visible on black or grey than on white. Wiping the basin dry after use keeps a dark basin looking new; if that will not happen, choose white.

How do you install a counter top basin?

Cut the waste hole from the basin's template, set the basin on a bead of silicone, fit the waste hand-tight and connect the trap below. The tap is fitted to the counter or the wall separately, so its position is decided before the counter is cut.

Bring a sample of the counter material if you can; the rim colour and the counter read together, and that is easier to judge in the showroom than on a screen.

Visit the showroom